Collectables and novelty items, especially collectable items licensed by sports teams are highly prized objects. Accordingly, consumer products manufacturers are continually using licensed products from movies, sports teams and the like to promote their products. Containers for food items and beverages may be used to distribute collectable items that are integral with the container closures. However, because of the many types of closures for food and beverage containers, collectable items must be specifically designed for each of the containers. The wide variety of container designs leads to a large inventory of collectable items of various designs that are needed for attaching to such containers.
Another disadvantage of having collectable items integral with the closure for containers is that the collectable item must be installed on the container at the time the container is filled. When the demand for the collectable item is greater or less than the demand for the product in the container, it difficult to adjust inventories of the product and collectable item as demand changes.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a simplified system for attaching and distributing collectable items on food and beverage containers that will enable more efficient distribution of the product and collectable items.
With regard to the foregoing, and other objects and advantages, the disclosure provides a collectable item system for attachment to a container closure device and a method for distributing collectable items. The collectable item system includes a novelty object having a cavity area therein. A retainer is disposed in the cavity area of the novelty object and is fixedly attached to the novelty object. The retainer includes a pawl edge for engaging a detent area of a container closure device.
In another embodiment, the disclosure provides a method for distributing collectable items. The method includes the steps of providing a collectable item comprising a miniature sports object having a cavity area therein. The collectable item is attached to a retainer so that the retainer is disposed in the cavity area of the sports item. The retainer includes a projection adjacent one end thereof for engaging a detent area of a container closure device. The sports item and retainer are engaged with the closure device of a consumer container. The consumer container containing the collectable item is then distributed to consumers.
A further embodiment of the disclosure provides a multi-part collectable item system for a beverage container. The multi-part collectable item system includes a miniature replica of a collectable object having a cavity area therein. A retainer is disposed in the cavity area of the collectable object and is attached to the collectable object. The retainer includes a pawl edge for engaging a detent area of a closure device for the beverage container.
An advantage of embodiments of the disclosure is that a system for attaching collectable items to a wide variety of containers may be provided using a relatively small inventory of collectable items. The system described herein enables a collectable item to be applied to a container for a food or beverage before or after leaving the container filling facility. Hence, as the demand for the product or collectable item changes, inventories may be more readily adjusted to meet the changing demands since the collectable items do not have to be attached to the containers at the time the containers are filled with the products.